WHERE MEANING + MAKING COLLIDE

manifesto

We believe that sustaining collaborative relationships is vital to keeping ideas fresh and skills sharpened—ultimately pushing work to new levels and bringing joy to the process of making. Our creative approach is anchored by informed ideation, creative experiment, quality control and trust in strategic process. It is through our dedication to collaboration that we know first-hand, the power of a person-first centered outlook in building a community and an affect driven platform.

we believe that photography and design are inseparable when developing a strong voice that will engage and impact the communities we help build.

MELLADRAMATIC is a creative studio found at the intersection of photography and design. We create branding and marketing campaigns that prioritize creative direction in the process of making to ensure that the vision is consistent, the messaging is clear, and our clients get the highest quality out of their investment. Studio owner Melody Bilbo maintains a vested perspective that collaboration is where the magic happens, practicing a hands-on approach to creative partnership.

Successful branding and marketing campaigns rely on imagery to tell the story for you. Impact and engagement are proven to be less effective with stock imagery and cookie cutter design, which is why we approach your story with a compelling vision that is well-researched and unique to your brand. We are experts at developing engaging content and have a passion for pushing the envelope well beyond expectation, moving your brand forward.

a space for creative play

join us

We recently launched our physical studio to further our mission to prioritize collaboration and play within the process of making by offering efficient options for production.
*The studio is available for booking sessions and rental.*

Learn More

Interested in joining our creative collective?

If you specialize in copywriting design, photography, or video and want to work on a project together—ours or yours, we would love to explore how we can leverage our skills to grow together.

Teamwork makes the dream work… so, let’s make some magic!

let's collab

the maker

melody bilbo, founder

Melody Bilbo is an interdisciplinary artist working across multiple platforms with a mission to facilitate community through collaboration. She brings concept driven work to life through research and creative experiment, working in a vast array of media including photography, graphic design, painting, and sculpture. Outside of making, her work experience includes curation, project management, and creative direction.

BACKGROUND

work and education

Melody worked for several years (2006–2013) providing services to adults and children with developmental disabilities, managing a group home and providing one-on-one supports to families in transition. Aside from her day job, she worked under the pseudonym Mella D as a resident DJ and an art curator while pursuing her own painting practice. After several successful shows, Melody went back to school to study art at Parkland College where she made the Dean’s List and received the Blair Kling Award from Giertz Gallery.

She received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2017 where she was recipient of the Creative Honors Scholarship. While her declared emphasis was painting, she intentionally chose SAIC for its interdisciplinary approach to education—loading up on photography, graphic design, and administrative/policy coursework. Throughout her experience in school she worked full-time as the Creative Director at a start-up pharmaceutical company, building out their marketing plan and internal process for material development and review.

CURRENT

collaboration and community

Upon graduation Melody took the leap into freelance and started her own business a year later, continuing consultant work as creative director focused on commercial products within niche markets. In 2018 she established a creative partnership with colleague Karen Spears of Kareracter LLC, collaborating on campaign concepts merging photography and design. Today they continue to collaborate on projects working with women led teams spanning beauty, wellness, and non-profit industries.

In 2019 Melody co-founded She Makes Chicago with fashion designer Kylee Alexander—an organization with the mission to help womxn makers and entrepreneurs connect, develop, and cultivate community. The platform functions digitally as a resource through their blog and podcast. Melody developed the branding and website, manages their social platforms, curates the blog, and produces the podcast.

In 2020 she launched Queerly Book Club with her friend Mack Ostermier. The book club focuses on queer literature and has a mission to cultivate community through reading, understanding, and affirmation. The book club meets monthly with an open dialogue in response to the readings, hosts a quarterly film viewing, and members collaborate annually on a community advocacy project.

Her studio is located in Chicago’s West Side, where she is accompanied by her Jack Russel assistants, Brusco and Otto who love to make debut on video calls. Melody is a proud queer woman and feminist who upholds the power of community as one of her greatest values. She is eager to use her platform and skillset to work with mission driven brands prioritizing social justice and cultural equity.